This article originally appeared in the August 2015 issue of Architectural Digest.

The modest façade of Robert Willson and David Serrano’s home in the colonial city of Mérida, on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, barely hints at the marvels—and the expansive square footage—that lie within. From the street, the building is a model of propriety and restraint, painted sky-blue and accented with chunky concrete door and window surrounds, romantic 19th-century coach lights, and a discreetly dentiled cornice. But behind the façade is a world of wonder and delight.

“We’ve been squirreling things away for this house forever,” says Serrano, who, along with Willson, his partner, owns Downtown, the fabulously eclectic Los Angeles decorative arts showroom where Mexican modernist furnishings stand cheek by jowl with fanciful rococo antiques. Willson chimes in, “Fitting our belongings together was like figuring out a giant puzzle. But that’s David’s strong suit—he has a genius for composition and color.” Hence the engagingly kaleidoscopic settings, where a mural copied from a Piranesi engraving of architectural tools—winningly titled The Pincers of Vitruvius—shares space with a stately Empire sofa swathed in lime-green tiger-stripe velvet, massive Italian terra-cotta sphinxes, and a Venetian grotto chair that brings to mind Björk’s infamous swan dress.

The couple’s south-of-the-border odyssey began four years ago, when an episode of HGTV’s House Hunters International inspired them to explore Mérida. They were intrigued by the rich history of the city—Spanish conquistadors founded it in 1542 on the site of an important Mayan settlement—as well as by the spirited cultural life and the charming colonial houses arrayed along the boulevards of its venerable central district. They’re not alone: Mérida has become a magnet for creative types, including celebrity chef Jeremiah Tower, Manhattan interior designer Laura Kirar, and artists James Brown and Jorge Pardo.

“So we called a real-estate agent, saw a bunch of houses, and found one that had terrific potential,” recalls Serrano, who was born in Mexico and now resides in Mérida year-round, while Willson shuttles back and forth to L.A. to manage Downtown’s day-to-day operations. The property that caught their eye was a late-19th-century dwelling a short distance from the main square and Mérida Cathedral, one of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in the Americas. Time and neglect had taken their toll on the home, which encompassed three grandly scaled salons and a series of crumbling, poorly constructed additions, among them a separate volume containing the master bedroom at the rear of the long, narrow lot.

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A Piranesi-inspired mural by Miguel Rivero and Eduardo Cortes overlooks the pool at dealers David Serrano and Robert Willson’s Mérida, Mexico, home, which was renovated by Bohl Architects. The griffin statues and terra-cotta chair are from the couple’s Los Angeles shop, Downtown, while the mosaic-tile panel leaning against the wall is 1940s Italian.

“It was basically a ruin,” says Chip Bohl, the head of Bohl Architects, whose main office is in Annapolis, Maryland. A close friend of Willson and Serrano’s, he was enlisted to bring order, light, and modern amenities to the ramshackle residence. To accomplish that, he explains, “we kept the three original rooms and added guest rooms, a new kitchen, a dining room, a pool, and a master suite that is now connected to the rest of the house.”

Because the 5,500-square-foot structure is bracketed by adjoining houses, the only existing windows were on the street façade. To introduce natural illumination and breezes, Bohl installed numerous clerestory windows, striking oculi, and small glass-block skylights throughout. He also devised two diminutive courtyards, one between the two guest rooms and the other off the kitchen.

The renovation process was an object lesson in how buildings get constructed in this part of Mexico. “Everything was handmade of concrete on-site, and the crew sometimes worked in their bare feet,” notes Bohl, adding that he presented his plans to the foreman and crew and then largely stepped back. “They know exactly what they’re doing—but they do it their way.”

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Serrano and Willson are big proponents of doing things their way, too. Eschewing the tropes of Spanish Colonial style, the couple orchestrated rooms of idiosyncratic international glamour, utilizing century-spanning furnishings that nod to the European influences in Mérida’s architecture. The living room, with its heady mix of French and Italian furniture, is presided over by a specially commissioned painting by Irvim Victoria entitled Mérida Jazz, which captures the vitality of the city in a riot of color and form. A 48-arm 1920s Murano-glass chandelier gleams in the dining room. Most of the floors are paved with locally produced cement tiles designed by Willson, from a smart diamond motif to a dizzying 3-D cube pattern. By the pool, the knockout Piranesian mural tops a semicircular concrete bench detailed with klismos-style legs.

Surprisingly, the raucous assortment of art and objects creates a palpable sense of calm, thanks largely to Serrano’s unfailing ability to balance baroque brio with classical symmetry. “This house is composed of ideas we’ve been playing around with for years, using pieces we truly love,” he says, adding with a knowing smile, “and when you’re acting as your own client, you can do anything.”

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